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Rodia was a hot, humid world which was covered in dense tropical jungles as well as sprawling cities, swamps and industrial areas. A large area of the planet was also covered in oceans and there appeared to be two polar regions on the extreme latitudes. A known body of water on the planet was the Wesessa Sea where the An'yettu Islands were located.

The Rodians built their cities on waterways and protected them with environmental shields, bubble domes that surrounded all habitation structures and allowed entry and exit for vehicles and vessels. These domes also protected from the extreme temperatures of the planet.[10]

Two major cities on the planet were Equator City and Iskaayuma which were the planetary capitals at different periods in Rodia's history. Equator City was the traditional capital until Navik usurped control over the planet and moved the capital to his clan's settlement at Iskaayuma. Two known continents were Encheeko and Betu.

Rodia's jungles used to host a variety of fauna and flora which were wiped out or made endangered over the millennia as the Rodians improved their technology and increased their population. The Rodian Karstag, newoongall and the ghest were native predators of Rodia.

Rodia was originally inhabited by rock-dwelling lizards which developed tools and weapons to aid in their survival.[11] Over time, these evolved into the sentientRodianspecies, who became brutal hunters to survive among the planet's dangerous wildlife. As they developed advanced technology, they began to exterminate the planet's other lifeforms at an increasingly rapid rate.[7] Eventually, all of the predators that threatened the Rodians were driven to extinction, and the Rodians began to hunt one another, finding or inventing excuses for war and laying waste to their homeworld's environment in the process.[11]

Rodians often engaged in clan wars.

As Rodian society developed and their technology improved, the leader of the most powerful clan, the Soammei clan, eventually proclaimed himself Inta'si'rin'na, or Grand Protector of the Rodians. Through the rest of Rodian history, the title of Grand Protector shifted from clan to clan as loyalties and power shifted. Grand Protectors ruled all of Rodia as dictators.

When scouts from the Galactic Republic arrived on Rodia, the planet's ecosystem was on the verge of being damaged beyond repair.[7] The Rodians hunted the new arrivals down until their Grand Protector, recognizing the possibility of new prey to hunt off-world, called a halt to the violence.[12] A new policy was implemented; the Grand Protector declared that the best hunters, as proven by success in various gladiatorial contests and hunts on Rodia, would be allowed to leave the planet for work as bounty hunters, mercenaries, slavers or similar occupations. The Grand Protector's Hunters' Guild, or Goa-Ato, instituted annual awards (or Atiang) for the best hunters, with such categories as "Best Shot", "Longest Trail", or "Most Notorious Capture."

The Rodians eventually joined the Republic, fascinated by its starships and weapons.[7] By 15,000 BBY, Rodia was within space that was considered well-explored,[13] and over time, the services of Rodian trackers became a popular export. Demand for weapons led to increased industrialization, especially around the megalopolis of Equator City. Rodian dramas also gained popularity;[2]Rodian Theater began as a simple series of staged fights, encouraged by Grand Protector Harido Kavila as a way for Rodians to burn off their aggression, but over time it developed into a vibrant, though violent, theatrical tradition. Though actors were barred from directly seeking political power at home, drama also became an acceptable way for dissident elements to challenge established ideas. Some Rodians illegally left their homeworld in search of refuge from clan feuds, traveling the galaxy freely and finding work in a variety of professions, from peaceful merchants and technicians to arms dealers and criminal henchmen. While the Rodian authorities treated off-world born Rodians as though they were alien galactic citizens, illegal emigrants were generally not allowed to return to Rodia, though some used forged or legitimate documents to claim off-world status.

During the Great Sith War, an alliance of Sith and Mandalorians won a victory at Rodia.[14] During the Mandalorian Wars Rodia remained neutral, but during the Jedi Civil War it was drawn into the full-scale conflict. Sith forces attempted to destroy the planet using the massive firepower of the Star Forge fleet, hoping to deny the Galactic Republic its greatest source of scouts and explorers. But the Jedi uncovered the plot and signaled the Republic fleet for help. The Battle of Rodia was an important battle of the Jedi Civil War, and after the Republic drove away the Sith fleet, Rodia officially joined the war on the Republic side, though individual Rodian mercenaries still worked for the Sith and other factions.[15] Following the Great Galactic War, Rodia was annexed by the Sith Empire under the partial Treaty of Coruscant. This was received with much bitterness and outrage by the Rodian ambassador Mareesh who saw this as a betrayal by the Republic.[16]

After the Clone Wars concluded in 19 BBY, the Galactic Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire.[19] Rodia and its population were spared enslavement under the new regime due to the Empire's demand for bounty hunters. In 17 BBY, Rodia experienced an internal coup when Navik the Red of the Chattza Clan conquered his rivals[2] in a series of fierce campaigns that spanned several star systems. After achieving victory, he named himself Grand Protector[3] and made his home city of Iskaayuma the new seat of government. Under Navik's rule, Rodia became a freer trading port and an emerging economic power.[2] Navik also tightened restrictions on emigration and built ties with Black Sun and the Galactic Empire. Navik ruthlessly persecuted his rivals, sentencing the entire Tetsu Clan to death. Even Tetsu refugees outside Rodia, such as Greedo the Elder and his family, were pursued by Chattza hunters. When the New Republic came into power, Navik represented Rodia in the Senate until the planet was invaded and conquered by the Yuuzhan Vong during their invasion.

During their invasion of the galaxy, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded Rodia to cut off the rimward portion of the Corellian Run.[2] As on many worlds, the Yuuzhan Vong conquerors began enslaving the population. The alien invaders planned to forge their Rodian captives into deadly warbeasts, under the direction of Master ShaperTaug Molou. He took his Rodian experimental subjects apart on a cellular level, reassembling their genetic code with bits from other creatures. This experiment resulted in the creation of the Vagh Rodiek, mindless warbeasts that moved on crab-like legs with sharp half-meter long scythes of bone in place of arms. The Rodian natural head-spines were mutated into razor-sharp quills. Rodia itself was terraformed, with freighter-sized, leathery blossoms looming over the landscape.[2]

The few Rodians who managed to flee Rodia found themselves refugees from persecution. Most however, hid in the jungle and launched guerrilla attacks against Yuuzhan Vong patrols. After that war, Rodia was represented in the Galactic Alliance Senate by Moog Ulur. Yuuzhan Vong terraforming made Rodia one of the most dangerous planets in the galaxy, filling its jungles with previously-unknown deadly predators. In a practice seen on Daluuj[20] and other worlds, the Yuuzhan Vong also moved to Rodia, forming one of the largest known Yuuzhan Vong populations in the galaxy.[2] Over the next hundred years, the Rodians had reveled in the new dangers onworld and became even greater hunters than before. Under the SithEmpire led by Darth Krayt, the planet claimed more Jedi bounties than any other, earning itself a favorable treatment from Darth Krayt.[21]

Previously, Rodia was confirmed to a Mid Rim planet. In 2008, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series changed the world from being a Mid Rim to an Outer Rim planet. The The Essential Atlas, released in 2009, also stated that Rodia was an Outer Rim planet.